More than 20 students who had waved black flags at chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s convoy outside the institution’s campus in June last year, claimed on Monday that they have been denied admission to the university’s post-graduate courses.
The University insists that the students concerned had given an undertaking not to apply for future courses in the institution after the demonstration against the chief minister.
Most of the students who took part in the protests are members of the left-wing All India Students’ Association (AISA) and the Samajwadi Party’s student wing.
Two candidates, Pooja Shukla and Gaurav Tripathi began an indefinite hunger strike demanding admission of all those students who appeared for the entrance test last month and whose results were allegedly held back for waving blacks flags at the CM.
The student leaders alleged that the university was harassing them on the state government’s direction. The protestors on hunger strike threatened to fast unto death if the varsity refused to admit them.
On June 7 last year, a number of student leaders belonging to the AISA and the SP’s Chhatra Sabha obstructed the CM’s cavalcade and waved black flags opposing his visit to the university. The police had arrested 11 of them.
{{/usCountry}}On June 7 last year, a number of student leaders belonging to the AISA and the SP’s Chhatra Sabha obstructed the CM’s cavalcade and waved black flags opposing his visit to the university. The police had arrested 11 of them.
{{/usCountry}}Pooja Shukla was among those who had waved black flags at the CM’s convoy.
“But I was not a student of Lucknow University then. This year, I applied for MA in Women’s Studies. But they withheld my entrance result because I opposed Yogi Adityanath’s visit to the campus,” Pooja claimed.
“The university administration is trying to trample the democratic rights of students. They are not allowing us to raise our voice against arbitrary fee hike,” said Gaurav.
In view the black flag demonstration that breached the chief minister’s security, the University had suspended eight students and barred them from all varsity facilities.
The University also withheld the PG entrance test result of more than 20 candidates including student leaders who had shown black flags to chief minister during his visit to the campus last year and those who held vice-chancellor hostage.
Officials said the students had been expelled from the university but their expulsion was revoked after they gave an undertaking that they would not seek admission to LU after completing graduation. But they still applied for PG courses and hence their result was withheld, they added.
“We have the written undertaking of candidates whose expulsion was revoked when they agreed not to enroll in any other course in future. The candidates denied admission include those who were involved in repeated incidents of indiscipline and were issued notices for vandalising mess property, holding officials hostage, showing black flags to CM and staging protests,” Lucknow University spokesperson NK Pandey said.